2021 was the year of transition, including coming back to campus. Welcome, 2020 and 2021 cohort students!
In the last year, the President's Emerging Scholars (PES) team continued to provide a high quality college experience for PES students, and one of the most exciting additions to PES has been the Student Success Coaching (SSC) Program.
In January 2021, we welcomed the SSC Coaches to the PES Professional Staff. Lisa Martinez Greer and Mai Lee began coaching the inaugural group of more than 100 SSC participants in fall 2021. Students and Success Coaches work together to establish goals for academic success, overall well-being, and graduation. In addition, coaches meet regularly with students throughout their undergraduate career at the University.
In 2021 the PES Summer Seminar remained online for the second time, and the curriculum included sessions to aid a smooth transition to campus. Once again, Summer Seminar participants were greatly satisfied with the program.
Welcome back to campus, PES students, and campus partners. We look forward to moving through this year in community with you, for as Angela Davis states, “It is in collectivities that we find reservoirs of hope and optimism.”
Peer Mentor Meetings
Students meet with their peer mentors at least 2 times per semester during their first and second years. Mentors build relationships with and coach students on their wellbeing, goals, and action plans for college. From September to November 2021, peer mentors completed 674 one-on-one meetings.
“My peer mentor embodies and fulfills all the qualities of a great mentor, and I am truly happy to have been able to get to know them throughout this past year as they have made my current experience worthwhile!”
- PES Student
"My peer mentor communicates well, is kind, encouraging, motivates me, helps me find things to get involved in to find a sense of community, understands how I feel in a white dominant school, etc”
- PES Student
“My peer mentor does a great job at connecting all her mentees together, they provide resources for a variety of topics found all around campus, and they are always available to talk or text whenever something comes up”
- PES Student
“My peer mentor is such a great help and it's so nice to speak with someone who is relatable and is able to create a space where I can talk without judgment and also sets out time to talk to me for as long as I need. I'm very grateful”
- PES Student
Success Coaches are highly skilled guides and mentors dedicated to helping PES students get the most from your University of Minnesota experience. The Success Coach will guide students from your first day to graduation!
At its core, success coaching is about getting mentorship and support related to your needs, values, interests, skills, and goals.
In this program, PES Students meet regularly with their Success Coach and work together to identify stressors and establish goals that lead to academic success, overall wellbeing, and, ultimately, graduation.
“My first coaching session helped me get on the right track, which I really needed. Especially since I haven't had the chance to think deeply into what I wanted to do and achieve, this session helped me do that. I'm very appreciative of my coach”
- PES Student in Success Coaching
“In my coaching session, I appreciate having the chance to think deeply into what I want to do and
achieve during college”- PES Student in Success Coaching
“ When I met with my coach I felt like my goals were recognized, that I was comfortable with talking about certain issues, that I was able to get the help I was looking for”
- PES Student in Success Coaching
“My coach and I discussed the possibility of studying abroad. She shared with me her experiences studying abroad throughout her undergraduate time, which aided me tremendously. She also broadened my perspective on studying abroad and provided me with other useful information to get me started”
- PES Student in Success Coaching
Virtual Summer Seminar
PES adapted the traditional on-campus Summer Seminar to a 5-day virtual dedicated to topics on community, race and identity, academic success, student leadership, mental health, major exploration, and financial wellness.
60 first-year students participated in community building and in race and identity conversation, and more than 100 students attended at least one of the Summer Seminar sessions.
100% of students said they will recommend Summer Seminar to a friend
“Summer Seminar is a great time/place to meet other students and new staff, learn about the program, and get introduced to resources which will be really beneficial later on when school actually starts”
- Summer Seminar Attendee
“I learned more about resources and explored what I want my college experience to be like and how I should do that, which is something I didn’t think about in depth before this week”
- Summer Seminar Attendee
“Thank you to everyone who helped put SS together this year. It must have been a difficult one to plan considering it is all online. Thank you for creating such a welcoming, accepting, and helpful space for us first-years.”
- Summer Seminar Attendee
1ST PES SCHOLARSHIP
Since 2013, more than 4,500 students have received a first-year PES Scholarship of $1,000 per student.
2ND PES SCHOLARSHIP
Since 2013, 2,395 students have received their second PES Scholarship.
PES FUND THE GAP SCHOLARSHIP
Since 2017, 88 students have received a Fund the Gap Scholarship from the Learning Abroad Center to study abroad for a full semester.
PES ENGAGEMENT SCHOLARSHIP
Since 2016, 95 students have received a PES Engagement Scholarship to participate in unpaid internships, research experiences, HECUA, National Student Exchange, or learning abroad
EMERGENCY FUNDS
PES awarded more than $46,000 in emergency funds to support PES students who were negatively impacted by COVID-19.
SIGMA LAMBDA BETA INTERNATIONAL FRATERNITY INC, ALPHA BETA CHAPTER
To date, 19 students have received a Stampede for Scholarship award for a total of $9,500
“The PES Engagement Scholarship has provided me the opportunity to explore and engage in a new environment in ways I never could imagine. Although I am still currently studying in Hawaii, I’ve already been able to learn so much about the struggles of Pacific Islanders, their ways of resistance, and the importance of culture in activist spaces.”
- PES Engagement Scholarship Recipient
“I believe that this PES scholarship will greatly impact my engagement in this program. I come from a low-income household so every cent counts for this experience abroad. I remember calculating my finances before receiving this scholarship and realized I was about 1,200 short. After receiving this scholarship, the anxiety of not knowing whether or not I could go through with the trip was relieved. I can now focus 100 percent of my energy on making the most of this opportunity.”
- PES Engagement Scholarship Recipient
“NSE has been something I would recommend for many college students, it makes your four years a bit more compelling. I have made friends within NSE here at my exchange school, from different parts of the world and have had quite an adventure doing it. I truly appreciate PES for this opportunity and would recommend for other PES students to be risk-takers, don’t miss out on any opportunities that come your way”
- PES Engagement Scholarship Recipient
College of Liberal Arts (CLA)
Course Update
PES students in CLA 1005 and 2005 will participate in special lectures series led by social justice leaders.
CLA 1005 Fall 2020
Dr. Becky Martinez - Engaging in Authentic Dialogue Across Difference and Within Intersections
CLA 2005 Spring 2021
Dr. Anton Reece - Community Engaged Leadership
Minerva S. Munoz - Social Class, Classism & Supporting Low Income (LI) & First Generation (FG) College Students
Nancy Hunter Denney - Beyond You: How to Be a Responsible Citizen in Your Community
Mr. Bryant K. Smith - Education, Power and Social Change
College of Education and Human Development (CEHD)
Course Update
CEHD welcomed 185 new PES students to the college. To support new students and to begin the formation of a cohort all first year students take EDHD 1701: Identity, Culture, and College Success. We have expanded the number of sections offered to 4 courses. Each course is team-taught by two CEHD advisors. Students enrolled in the course are assigned to one of the two instructors as their advisor. The course provides students with skills to help them adjust to college life at the U as well as explore their identities and how their experiences impact their educational journey. It also provides an opportunity to develop a stronger relationship with their advisor and peers within the college
TRIO Student Support Services
Coming soon...
College of Biological Science (CBS)
Coming soon...
College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS)
Course Update
CFAN 1102: PES Seminar is in its second year after its relaunch last fall. This year, the seminar has a hybrid model where students meet in-person once a month, and complete module activities on all other weeks. CFANS Academic Advisors, as well as some of our campus colleagues, contributed to the modules. The hope is that CFAN 1102 will be a fully in-person course for Fall 2022.
Staff Update
CFANS is in the process of hiring their next PES Coordinator and Undergraduate Retention Specialist. This position provides 1:1 support, as well as facilitates group programming for all CFANS PES students
College of Design (CDes)
Coming soon...
College of Science and Engineering (CSE)
Course Updates
Provided a single section of CSE 1001 for incoming CSE PES participants
Partnered with SMART Learning Commons for weekly, one-on-one tutoring and group sessions for CSE PES students. Also, virtual tutoring sessions are available every Friday.
Community Building
In-person monthly excursions & socials are back; this includes trips to the Minneapolis Institute of Art & Dinner on Eat Street, the Anderson Innovation Lab, and Goldy’s Gameroom.
Professional Development
CSE students are encouraged to participate in mentorship programs including:
Multicultural Engineers & Scientists at Medtronic (MES@M) and Rooted in STEM (RiS). In addition, The BIPOC Voices in STEM speaker series is free and open to students of all identities who are interested in or currently studying STEM at the University of Minnesota. The series highlights the experiences of UMN alumni who have current or past careers or degrees in STEM.
Carlson School of Management (CSOM)
Coming soon...
School of Nursing
Starting Fall 2022, PES students will be also admitted into the Nursing Program.
Athletics
Coming soon...
Each semester, the PES retention team collaborates with college advisors to promote the retention of PES students.
XXX students were individually contacted from June to September 2020 and XXX students registered after the retention outreach was complete. A similar process is planned for Spring 2021.
| Cohort Year | Cohort Size | 4-Year Grad Rate | 6-Year Grad Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 474 | 52.52% | 74.58% |
| 2014 | 514 | 54.67% | 73.35% |
| 2015 | 538 | 57.99% | 78.1% |
| 2016 | 540 | 53.7% | - |
| 2017 | 548 | 59% | - |